


Midgar Marketplace

by takenbynumbers



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28204704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takenbynumbers/pseuds/takenbynumbers
Summary: Working in marketing and online management for a clothing company should be easy...right?
Relationships: Zack Fair/Sephiroth
Kudos: 14
Collections: 2020 FF7 Secret Santa





	Midgar Marketplace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FFlove190](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFlove190/gifts).



> The Secret Santa prompt was: AU- in an office. What kind of work do they do? Do Zack and Sephiroth have the same job title yet perform entirely different functions and Sephiroth hates that? 
> 
> enjoy!

The first day at their induction, Sephiroth couldn’t keep his eyes off Zack. It wasn’t the fact that he was attractive (in a kind of jockish way, completely out of place in the navy suit and tie he wore). No, it was his confidence. Talking to their new co-workers, making notes, generally being _nice_. Even at the group interview (which Sephiroth thought he failed at _completely_ , given his lack of actual experience in the field of clothing design and marketing), he just treated it like after-work drinks. Appropriate. Friendly.

Gods above, he hated Zackary Fair so much.

For the first few months, they didn’t work together – Zack had been assigned to customer service, and Sephiroth was put on the design team. Occasionally, their paths would cross – mostly when Zack came knocking at the door, asking about specific measurements.

“Hey, so I’ve got a customer…”

“No. I’m busy. Look it up.”

“The information _isn’t_ online, you know that.”

“Surely someone has it written down?”

When Zack’s brow furrowed, his eyes almost seemed to droop, much like a puppy, and Sephiroth clenched his fists, trying to remain strong. No. He would not bow to _customer service_. They should have all the answers, in those little macros on the computers, and shouldn’t _need_ to contact anyone else about anything.

“They don’t. But you’re here…so…do you have the specs for this?”

Without fail, Zack would wear him down. Time and time again, he would come to the design team, while in the middle of a campaign or just generally busy and ask his inane questions. At one point, Genesis snapped and shoved him out of the room. Or attempt to – according to him, it was like trying to move a wall.

And then the impossible happened.

One day, seated at his computer, debating on the style of accents for a new design of suit jacket for Rufus Shinra’s new line, Lazard walked in. “We have an opening for the marketing team and it’ll involve online management as well. Less creative than here, but you’ll earn more.”

And of course, he put his hand up. Sephiroth had no idea why he’d even been put on the design team, but marketing was what drew him to the job in the first place. And without Genesis and his constant criticisms of his designs, he was more likely to keep his job and not have to re-join the military like everyone wanted him to do.

If he had known that Zack was _also_ going to be on the marketing team, he would have had his boots on in no time at all.

*

  
“Hey, Seph.”

With the angle he was sitting at, he was bound to develop back problems down the line. Especially for his height. Maybe it was something he could bring up with HR, enquire about those standing desks that were all the craze. It was never too early to be concerned with appropriate posture.

“Seph?”

One of the sites the clothes were sold through kept crashing as soon as he submitted the amended deal, and he was ready to throw the monitor out the window. As soon as the clock clicked to midday, he was going to calmly get up – get some lunch – and gaze out at the landscape and wonder why he thought he could lead a normal life amongst civilians. More importantly, why he consistently came to work for yet another branch of a company that was _clearly_ trying to drive him insane.

“ _Sephiroth_. Do you want a coffee?”

Glancing up, he eyed Zack. All wide-eyed, hair neatly spiked, looking far more relaxed than he had any right to be in a fitted white t-shirt and black jeans. Sephiroth was _not_ looking at how his biceps looked strained against the fabric. No. Absolutely not.

“No, thank you. I’ve had enough today.”

“Seriously? Have you seen how Angeal updated the website? It’s neat, but he keeps throwing back on styles we clearly have no stock for…don’t know why or where he thinks we can find them. I’ve been taking them off, but there’s _so_ many…”

Even when it was work related, it tended to go in one ear and out the other. Which was unfortunate, given that it sounded surprisingly relevant for once.

“Have you checked with warehouse to see if they’ve done a stocktake?”

Leaning back, hands folded behind his head, Zack just shook his head. Something in Sephiroth’s back twinged – just a little – and he looked away back to the screen to see if he could upload _yet again_.

“Hey, you wanna grab a drink after work?”

“Sure,” Sephiroth murmured, not paying attention to what Zack had asked until it was too late, and he could have smacked himself with the damned monitor. “I, uh…”

“No. No way. You said yes. We’re _doing it_. Finally,” Zack laughed. And really, he had every right to laugh. Under previous circumstances before they started working _literally_ right next to each other, he would make something up. Or claim he had to wash his hair (possibly the only excuse that no one ever questioned). Instead, he just sighed, and hit refresh for the hundredth time.

*  
  
  


“Okay so, for the end of solstice sale…we should definitely do a gift with purchase. It’s a great way to move the older stock we couldn’t, and everyone likes free shit, right?”

Sephiroth nodded, sipping his wine– a terrible red, but he’d drunk so many of them over the past two years that it was starting to grow on him. How did _one_ accepted invitation for drinks turn into a weekly bonding activity that had been going on for _two years_. One day, he was calmly not murdering Angeal and Zack for their shockingly jovial attitudes to a data breach, the next he had discovered he _enjoyed_ the conversations he was having with Zack. That he _respected_ his opinion on work related issues. That he _could_ go over to his apartment and be pleasantly surprised by how minimalist it was and _not_ molest him in his sleep when they both passed out on the couch.

It didn’t stop Sephiroth from kissing the top of his head at one point, breathing in the odd mix of hair gel and cologne. Deep earthy notes, cut with faint vanilla and lemon. Not that he thought about it too much. 

Not at all.

At one point Zack decided they needed a change of pace and so they went outside, Sephiroth shivering a little at the change of temperature – something that was instantly picked up by Zack. _How_ was he so observant?

“You really should have brought a hat or something. You always do this, I don’t know why you never learn from all those other times. Remember last winter and I got you that ridiculously fluffy hat? Where’s that thing? You should have worn it today.” 

Sephiroth smirked, setting his glass down and crossing his arms over his chest, trying to conserve the warmth. Alcohol did _nothing_ to stop him from freezing. All it did was make him forget how cold he was. “It ruins my hair.”

“A stiff breeze ruins your hair. I’ve seen you fix it in enough reflective surfaces…no, you _preen_.” Zack’s tone was gentle, and he couldn’t help but smile properly. “Yeah. You can’t deny it. I don’t know why I even put up with you.”

But the sly smile on Zack’s face indicated his _lack_ of serious conviction behind those words, as did the way he stepped closer to Sephiroth, wrapping an arm around his waist. The heat radiating off Zack was _nice_ , and he leaned against him for a moment. It wasn’t any different to how they hung out on the couch, watching terrible movies. Or when Zack fell asleep on his shoulder in the break room during lunch because he’d been up since before dawn, working.

The small sigh that escaped Zack was new, the fingers gripping his hip tightening ever so slightly. And Sephiroth just turned his head, enveloped by the scent that was so uniquely Zack and the press of his warm body.

“I guess you’re not so bad after all,” Sephiroth murmured and Zack just chuckled under his breath.

“Wait until you see what I did to the website. There’s a high chance you may still murder me.”


End file.
